In Mexico, the lower class women are often confined to the home. These building projects gave them a chance to expand beyond those walls and express their inherent talents and creativity.

Their presence added beauty and grace to both the work itself and the environment. In bare feet and long skirts that never seemed to get dirty, they would mix clay and straw for plaster and blocks. Their hands would intrinsically sculpt walls, benches and shelves. While cleaning carrizo reeds in the shade of the trees, they would chatter like swallows. They were as comfortable working with these materials as they were making tortillas or washing clothes.

And of course, with women come children. Enthusiastically everywhere, they played while helping. Over the years we have been fortunate to watch so many of these children, now young adults, turn what was once play into work - an easy transition since working with mud is not much different than playing with it.